Database of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs)–IPL project No. 179

This article summarises activities and preliminary results of the International Programme on Landslides Project no. 179 “Database of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs)”. This project is planned for 3 years (2013–2015); the main objectives of the first year are (1) to create an online database and (2) to select collaborating partners. A survey of existing and relevant documents, information and organisations has been initiated along with the creation of a website (www.glofs-database.org) and the establishment of international collaboration. The first preliminary results show regional differences in various attributes of GLOF events (e.g. triggers, chronological distribution). These differences should be taken into consideration in regionally focused methods of hazard assessment, mitigation and consequently risk management.     

A model for conductive faults with non-matching grids

In this paper, we are interested in modeling single-phase flow in a porous medium with known faults seen as interfaces. We mainly focus on how to handle non-matching grids problems arising from rock displacement along the fault. We describe a model that can be extended to multi-phase flow where faults are treated as interfaces. The model is validated in an academic framework and is then extended to 3D non K-orthogonal grids, and a realistic case is presented.     

Statistical characteristics of detectable inhomogeneities in observed meteorological time series

Statistical characteristics of detectable inhomogeneities [IHs] in more than 600 observed meteorological time series have been investigated using 16 objective homogenisation methods. Forty and 100 year long series of monthly or annual characteristics of surface air temperature, precipitation total and relative air humidity from the Czech Republic and Hungary were examined. The area of the part of the Czech observing network used here is smaller, and the density of sites is larger, than in the Hungarian network, resulting in higher spatial correlations among data in the Czech dataset relative to the Hungarian dataset. Time series with low number of gaps were supplied with interpolated data. Before homogenisation relative time series were created, using weighted averages of time series from the same geographical region as reference series. For ease of comparison, the magnitudes of the detected IHs are normalised with the standard deviation of the noise in the relative time series. Results show that observed meteorological time series usually contain large number of small IHs, and that the magnitude distribution of IHs from different data segments are surprisingly similar. Effects of different spatial coherences on the results are discussed.     

Daily variations of the characteristics of beating-typePc3 (Bpc3) pulsations

Summary The spectra of nearly 100 samples of Bpc3 pulsations were computed in the X and Y components of data from the Budkov Observatory. These spectra were used to study the daily variations of the fundamental characteristics of the pulsations, the frequency f ₀ and amplitude A ₀ of the main spectral peaks. The daily variation of the ellipticity of the polarization ellipses of oscillations in frequency f ₀ was also studied in the XY-plane.Part of these results was reported at the XVth General Assembly of the IUGG, Moscow, August 1971.     

中国黄土和阿拉斯加黄土磁化率气候记录的两种模式探讨

在中国和中欧黄土-古土壤研究中发现的磁化率与成壤作用(或古气候温湿程度)的正相关性已被第四纪科学家广泛认识,并应用于古气候研究中.成壤过程形成的亚铁磁性矿物被认为是古土壤磁化率增加的主要原因;然而,这一模式并不一定适用于其他黄土沉积地区,如阿拉斯加和西伯利亚黄土沉积显示了一个完全相反的磁化率行为,即在黄土层获高磁化率值而在古土壤层获低磁化率.这种相反的关系过去被解释为磁化率反映的是与风动力吹来的亚铁磁性矿物的含量,即与风速或风力大小有关.本研究发现阿拉斯加黄土与古土壤的磁性矿物性质有明显差异,不仅仅是粒径的大小,还有磁性矿物的种类即矿物相的差别.这一证据很难单纯以风力强度的大小来解释,意味着阿拉斯加古土壤的低磁化率至少部分是在成壤过程中亚铁磁性矿物发生改变(如溶解)而造成,表明阿拉斯加黄土和中国黄土的磁化率与古气候记录可能存在两种模式,即氧化和还原条件下的成土模式.黄土磁化率在不同的气候(温度湿度)条件下有着不同的对应关系:在低降水量、高蒸发量的干旱氧化成壤条件下,利于亚铁磁性矿物的生成,其磁化率与古气候的关系呈正相关,如中国和中亚黄土;在高纬高湿的还原成壤条件下,亚铁磁性矿物会被破坏被分解,其磁化率与古气候呈负相关关系,如阿拉斯加黄土.如果成壤条件在氧化和还原之间来回变换,那么就很难找到两者之间的联系.因此,将磁化率应用于古气候的重建时要加倍的小心.     

Prototypes of Orthoimage Maps as Tools for Geophysical Application

Orthoimage maps have become very popular and frequently produced cartographical outputs in geosciences during recent years. However, the unambiguous terminology, definitions, content and appearance specifications have not been widely researched. This paper deals with the new definition of the orthoimage map, its component delineation, and basic classification. The authors present aspects of topographic and thematic orthoimage maps. The main theoretical achievement of the authors’ research is the determining of the image component and the symbol component of orthoimage map content. The presented orthoimage map concept is applicable in geophysics practise which is demonstrated by three presented topographic and thematic orthoimage maps. They differ according to the relationship between topographic background and thematic content, and between image and symbol component. The image component can be a carrier of thematic geophysical information, or it can be used as topographic background for geophysics-oriented symbol component. All prototypes give examples of how to design, complete and use image-based cartographical products. Those variants might be used as guidelines for future orthoimage map production, especially for the geophysics community.     

A Multi-Angle Averaging Theorem Applied to the J2 Problem

A particular multi-angle averaging theorem for systems admitting a finite Fourier expansion of the field is presented, together with its application to the problem of motion around an oblate planet (the J₂ problem), in harmonic oscillator formulation. This method of approximate integration has the advantage of working with (close on) directly measurable elements. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Ecomorphodynamics of rivers with converging boundaries

Many rivers worldwide show converging sections where a characteristic limiting front for vegetation establishment on gravel bars is observed. An important conceptual model was advanced in 2006 by Gurnell and Petts, who demonstrated that for the convergent section of the Tagliamento River the downstream front of vegetation establishment can be explained by unit stream power. We introduce a theoretical framework based on 1D ecomorphodynamic equations modified to account for the biological dynamics of vegetation. We obtain the first analytical result explaining the position and river width where vegetation density is expected to vanish in relation to a characteristic streamflow magnitude and both hydraulic and biological parameters. We apply our model to a controlled experiment within a convergent flume channel with growing seedlings perturbed by periodic floods. For a range of timescales where hydrological and biological processes interact, we observe the formation of a front in the convergent section beyond which vegetation cannot survive, the location of which is explained by flow magnitude. This experiment confirms that the timescales of the involved processes and the unit stream power determine the existence and the position of the front within convergent river reaches, respectively. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relationship between CO2-dominated fluids,hydrothermal alterations and gold mineralization in the Red Lake greenstone belt,Canada

The Red Lake greenstone belt is one of the foremost Au mining camps in Canada and hosts the world-class Campbell-Red Lake Au deposit. Belt-scale hydrothermal alteration is characterized by proximal ferroan dolomite zones associated with Au mineralization surrounded by distal calcite zones, both being accompanied by potassic alterations (sericite, muscovite, and biotite). At the Campbell-Red Lake and Cochenour deposits Au mineralization (in particular high-grade ore) is associated with silica and sulfides (especially arsenopyrite) that replace carbonate ± quartz veins and the host rocks. The prevalence of carbonic fluid inclusions and rare occurrence of aqueous-bearing inclusions in carbonate–quartz–Au veins in the Campbell-Red Lake deposit, and the consistency of homogenization temperatures of carbonic inclusions within individual fluid inclusion assemblages (FIA), have been interpreted to indicate that H₂O-poor, CO₂-dominated fluids were responsible for the carbonate veining and Au mineralization. Further studies of fluid inclusions in carbonate–quartz veins within and outside the deformation zone hosting the Campbell-Red Lake deposit (the Red Lake Mine trend) including the Cochenour Au deposit, the Redcon Au prospect, and outcrops in the distal calcite zone also reveal the dominance of carbonic fluid inclusions in vein minerals. These studies indicate that CO₂-dominated fluids were flowing through fractures during carbonate vein formation and Au mineralization both within and outside major structures. The carbonic fluid may have been initially undersaturated with water, or it may have resulted from phase separation of an H₂O–CO₂–NaCl fluid. In the latter case, phase separation modeling indicates that the initial fluid likely had XCO₂${\text{X}}_{{\text{CO}}_2}$ values larger than 0.8. Calculations based on hydrothermal mineral assemblages indicate XCO₂${\text{X}}_{{\text{CO}}_2}$ values in the host rocks from 0.025 to 0.85, reflecting a change from CO₂-dominated fluids in the fractures (veins) to H₂O-dominated fluids in the host rocks away from the fractures. The CO₂-dominated fluids were likely advected from granulite facies in the deeper crust, whereas the H₂O-dominated fluids were derived from the ambient host rocks of amphibole to greenschist facies. Calculations based on CO₂ requirements and source constraints indicate that the mineralizing fluids were likely two orders of magnitude more enriched in Au than the commonly assumed values of a few μg/L, which may explain why the Campbell-Red Lake deposit has a very high-grade of Au (average 21 g/t for the whole deposit and 81 g/t for the Goldcorp High-Grade zone). Fluid inclusion data suggest that the carbonate veining and Au mineralization likely took place at depths from 7 to 14 km. The development of crustiform–colloform structures in the carbonate ± quartz veins, which was previously interpreted to indicate relatively shallow environments, may alternatively have been related to extremely high fluid pressures and the CO₂-dominated nature of the fluids, which could have enhanced the brittle properties of the rocks due to their high wetting angles.